New Beginnings
by allisa.jm
Summary: AU where nobody is in prison, and Piper never dated Alex before Larry. Piper gets cheated on and needs to move out of her apartment. In her new building, she meets Alex Vause, and is intrigued by the women's mysterious demeanor.
1. Moving out

Piper thought her fiance was a wonderful man, and she was so grateful that she had found someone so sweet and caring. She was glad she had finally found someone her parents approved of. Larry was the perfect guy to bring home to parents. He came from a wealthy family, he had a stable job writing for a magazine, and owned a nice apartment of his own.

Piper met Larry through her best friend Polly. He was her next door neighbor, and long story short they ended up becoming best friends. Piper was at Polly's house about as much as her own, so she got to know him as well.

When he asked her on a date, Piper was pleasantly surprised. So that date turned into more, and eventually a great relationship. They moved in together and it was all going great. After about one and a half years of dating, Larry proposed. Piper had once again been pleasantly surprised, and very happily agreed. Her parents were thrilled, and Piper was excited to spend the rest of her life with the man that she loved.

Three months. That's how long it took to go from happy and in love, to completer resentment on Piper's part. "I just don't see why you can't come," Piper huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Babe, I told you. I have a deadline on this article. You know how long i've been working on it," Piper reluctantly gave in. She knew how many hours he had spent on this piece. "Fine. I'll just go with Polly."

With that, Piper went into the bathroom to start getting ready. While her curling iron was heating up, she grabbed her phone and called Polly. "Hey Pol, Larry had a huge writing deadline and I don't want to go to this party alone. Will you be my date?" Piper pouted into the phone, hoping her best friend would take pity on her. "I don't know if I can Piper."

"But Polllll! Who will I go with? I fucking hate work parties, and I don't want to suffer all by myself," She whined. "I'm sorry hon, I have to work tonight."

"Polly you don't even have a job."

"I do too!"

"You have an online store selling soap. Online meaning you work from home, whenever you feel like it." Piper stated dully.

"A very popular soap store, which I need to keep stocked. Sorry Pipes. I'll come to the next one."

Piper hung up feeling defeated. Guess she'll have to go alone.

* * *

Work Parties suck. Piper had predicted this, as she didn't have a particularly exciting job, which meant she didn't work with particularly exciting people. Still, when her predictions proved true she wasn't very happy about it. She lasted a few minutes of boring conversation with her coworkers, before heading to the bar in search of alcohol. She would need it to get through this.

After about two hours Piper decided to give up and go home early. She said her goodbyes and went outside to hail a cab.

Slightly tipsy, she walked down the hall to her apartment and got out her keys. She was about to open the door, when she was stopped by the noises she heard inside, she quickly unlocked the door and threw it open. Inside her home, on her couch, was her fiance having sex with her best friend. Both oblivious to Piper's entrance, they continued on as Piper watched, stunned. Once her brain finally registered was happening, Piper was furious.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Piper yelled.

The two jumped apart like a couple of teenagers caught by their parents, and quickly tried to cover up.

"Uh Pipes you're home early! I uh thought you were going to be out...a little...later." Larry said stammering and looking down.

"Oh i'm so sorry I forgot to call before coming over to _my house_. I just didn't think I would find my BEST FRIEND _FUCKING_ MY FIANCE!" Piper had never truly felt rage until this moment.

Very calmly, she walked over to where Polly had been standing, awkwardly, wrapped in a throw blanket. She looked her up and down raised, then raised her hand and smacked her across the face. Polly yelped and covered her face.

"I deserved that." Polly looked down, ashamed.

"Yeah no shit." She looked over at Larry, anger flaring in her eyes, and he backed up slightly, expecting the same. She looked at them both then, both cowering under her intense glare.

"Get out." She stated simply.

"But pipes-" Larry started, when Piper put her hand up.

"Go stay at _her_ house tonight. My stuff will be out by the end of the week."

"Piper can't we at least talk about this?" Larry sounded desperate.

"There's nothing to talk about Larry. You made a fucking commitment. When you asked me to marry you, we _both_ made a commitment. A commitment to be faithful to each other for _life_. We're not even married yet and you already cheated on me, and you expect me to trust you to last for _life_?" She laughed in disbelief. "Fuck that and fuck you. Now both of you need to get out. I have shit to do."

With that she turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment. Once in the elevator she finally let herself process. Her supposed best friend. And the supposed love of her life. She could feel the tears starting to come and tried to compose herself. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

The first thing she did was go to the nearest store where she could buy boxes and packing tape. She wanted to get this part out of the way. She rushed back home, just wanting to get as much done tonight as possible.

Rather than letting herself think about what was going on, Piper went to straight to work packing her things. She stuffed her clothes in bags, not caring enough to fold them. All her toiletries went into boxes, as did her books, shoes, and anything else she would need. She made sure to leave the essentials out for the few days she would still be here. She won't take any furniture. Couldn't. Even the things she bought. It will remind her too much of him.

She sat down and made a list of all the things she would need to get for her new apartment.

 _Shit. I'm going to have to find a new apartment. Fast._ She checked the time - 4:32 a.m. The apartment hunt could wait until the morning.

She needed to rest if she was going to get anything done. She walked to her bedroom and looked around. She was so angry. How could this be? That the two people she trusted most in the world were the ones to hurt her the most. The more she thought about it, the more angry she got. Turning to the wall she punched it as hard as she could. Again and again she punched it, tears of anger and sadness blurring her vision. She punched the same spot over and over until her fist went through the wall and she felt searing pain. She pulled out her hand, examiling it. Her knuckles bled, and bruises were already forming. Slowly, she uncurled her fist, pain shooting through her hand. She'd deal with that later.

She collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep on top of the covers.

* * *

Piper woke up feeling like complete shit. Her head was pounding, her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and her back ached from bending over boxes all night. She reached for her phone with her right hand and yelped as she felt pain shoot up her arm. She looked at her hand and was surprised to see the amount of damage she had done. Her hand was swollen and bruised, and there was dried blood on her knuckles. She grabbed her phone off her nightstand with her uninjured hand and turned it on. It was well past noon, but she didn't feel bad about sleeping in, given the fact that she was up until four in the morning packing her things.

She slowly got out of bed, and walked straight to the bathroom to get something for her head and hand. Carefully, she washed the blood off her hand, then cleaned the cuts on her knuckles. She rinsed her face with cold water and brushed her teeth. She found an ace bandage and wrapped her hand up carefully, not wanting to cause any more damage. She changed into clean clothes and, feeling a little better, she found her laptop and began to search for an apartment.

Her father had always told her to put a small percentage of each paycheck into her savings account for emergencies. Luckily, this was the one piece of advice Piper had actually taken from her father. Her savings account contained enough money to take care of everything she would need to move into a new apartment.

Finding an apartment she could move into on such short notice proved to be difficult, but once she found one she felt confident in her decision. It was well within her price range, judging from the pictures it was in good condition, and it wasn't in a bad neighborhood. She filled out the online application and hoped for the best.

She went back to work packing, which was a little hard with her injured hand, but she managed and finished around three. Her stomach rumbled and she realized she hadn't yet eaten. Deciding she needed to get out of the house, she grabbed her keys, purse and phone, and walked out the door.

She walked to a small cafe near her apartment. Once she got her food, she sat down at a small table in the corner of the cafe. Looking through her phone, she had several missed calls from both Polly and Larry, along with a few voicemails and texts. She scoffed and shut off her phone, setting it face down on the table.

A few minutes later, it started ringing and she picked it up. The call was from an unknown number, figuring it was about the apartment, she answered it quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Piper Chapman?" the voice on the other end questioned.

"Yes, it is. Who is this?"

"Okay good. Hi Piper, my name is Nicky Nichols, i'm calling about the application you submitted for the apartment. I was wondering if you'd like to come look at it later today."

"Yes i'd love to! What time should I come by?"

"As soon as you can make it."

"I can be there in twenty minutes, if that's alright?" Piper was eager to be able to move her stuff in.

"That sounds great. Just buzz the lobby and i'll be let in. See you soon."

Piper quickly packed up her things and hurried out the door of the cafe. She hailed a cabi, and was soon on her way to her new home.

* * *

Once she arrived to the apartment building, Piper was even more confident in her decision than before. On the car ride here, Piper had discovered the neighborhood contained a grocery store, coffee shop, and a diner all in walking distance of the apartment. The apartment building looked clean and well taken care of.

She paid the cab driver and got out of the car. Walking up to the building, she saw the call box and buzzed lobby. A few seconds later the door opened revealing a short women, with a mane of copper blonde hair, wearing dark eyeliner around her large eyes.

"You must be Piper. I'm Nicky, we spoke on the phone" The women extended her hand towards Piper.

Piper took the offered hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you Nicky. Are you the landlord?" Piper doubted it, the blonde was definitely too young, but she was curious.

"Nah, i'm just filling in. The real landlord is out of town. You'll meet her soon, assuming you take the apartment."

"I think I just might," Piper said, chuckling.

"Come on, i'll show you the place." Nicky grabbed some keys off the desk in the lobby and walked to the elevator, pressing the button. Piper followed her into the elevator and they stood in silence for a few seconds.

"So why do you need an apartment on such short notice anyway?" Nicky inquired.

"Break up," Piper replied simply, not wanting to elaborate.

"Well that's shitty."

The elevator doors opened, and Nicky walked out first, Piper following. The women stopped in front of a door and unlocked it.

"So this is the place," Nicky put her arms out and spun in a slow circle. "Bedroom is over there," she said pointing. "Bathroom, living room, kitchen, and laundry room." She took Piper into each room and they looked around. "Shit, this is nicer than my place," Nicky laughed. "I live down the hall. Red-the landlord-put me in charge for the weekend. I should've switched apartments while she was gone," Piper laughed at that.

"So what do you think?" The blonde asked once the tour was over.

"Looks good to me," Piper shrugged. "Unless there's something wrong with it that you're not telling me," she joked.

"Guess you'll have to find out," Nicky chuckled. "So, you wanna sign the lease and get this done?"

Piper contemplated it for a second before deciding. "Let's do it."

"Great."

With that, Nicky took Piper back down to the lobby and she signed the lease. She wrote a check for the cost of the security deposit, and first and last month's rent.

"Okay good. Here's your key, and a spare. And you're all set. Start moving in whenever you want."

"Thank you so much Nicky." Piper shook the woman's hand.

"No problem. See you later neighbor."

The blonde turned on her heel and walked away. Piper exited the building that was now her new home. She put her key on her keyring and hailed a cab. Giving the address to the driver, Piper sat back, feeling happy for the first time today.


	2. Let me help you with that

Alex Vause lived a life that could only be described as comfortable. She lived in a nice apartment in a nice neighborhood. She worked as a psychiatrist for lgbt youth, and she loved her job. Not only did it pay well, she felt good about being able to help people who really needed the help.

She wished she'd had someone like her around when she was young. Someone she could relate too. Someone who'd had similar experiences to her own.

Not that she didn't have any support, in fact her mother was probably her greatest supporter. Diane Vause was a wonderful mother, and a wonderful person. She was a hard worker, and she taught Alex how to be one as well.

Alex had been very close to her mother up until the day she died. When she did pass, Alex's world shattered. Diane was the only family Alex had ever had. The only person in her life that loved and supported her unconditionally.

Now, three months after her mother's death, Alex still felt that there was a piece missing from her life. She had great friends that helped her get through her hard times, and she was very grateful for them. There was Nicky, who was a pain in the ass, but they loved each other despite their differences.

Alex met Nicky when she moved into her apartment five years ago. She was new to this part of the city, and didn't know anyone. Nicky lived across the hall from Alex, and neighborly friendliness eventually turned into a genuine friendship. Years later they still tolerated each other with equal love and hate.

Nicky's girlfriend Lorna was another one of the few people in Alex's circle of friends. The two had met at a bar three years prior and had accidentally fallen in love. At first their relationship was dysfunctional, but eventually they figured it out. Now they lived together in Nicky's apartment and planned on getting a dog in the near future.

It wasn't that Alex didn't want a long term relationship, because she did. She just found it hard to commit to one person for such a long amount of time. She guessed she just hasn't found the right person for her yet. She wants someone who has her same spirit of adventure. Someone she could travel the world with. Someone she wouldn't ever be bored around because they had so much fun around each other. One day, she supposed, she would find the right girl to spend her life with.

* * *

"Hey Vause wait up!"

Alex turned to see Nicky jogging towards her as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

"Hey Nicky, what's up?"

"You wanna come to dinner with me and Lorna tonight? She made me ask. So what do you say? Feel like being a third wheel later?"

"As appealing as that sounds, I have some things to work on tonight," Alex said chuckling.

"What a bummer. Well catch you later Vause, I have to show an apartment for red."

With that, Nicky walked down the hall to the elevator. Alex entered her apartment and sat down on the couch with her laptop to get some work done.

* * *

Just outside her apartment, Alex heard a loud crash followed by someone yelling.

"Fuck! Motherfucker!"

Alex got off her couch and opened her door to see what all the commotion was. When she opened the door she was greeted with the sight of a woman hunched over, clutching her right hand with her left. In front of her was a spilled moving box that appeared to have been filled with toiletries.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alex asked, a little concerned.

The women jumped, startled by Alex's voice. She turned to face Alex still holding her hand.

"Yes, i'm fine thanks," the women answered sheepishly. "Just had a um, accident. I'm Piper, i'm moving in down the hall." Piper extended her left and and Alex took it.

"Nice to meet you Piper. I'm Alex. Do you need any help with that?" Alex asked, nodding towards the spilled box.

"I actually could really use some help," The blonde said glancing at her hand.

Alex just nodded and crouched down, collecting the spilled contents of the box.

"So what's up with your hand? It looks pretty fucked up." Alex smirked.

"I got in a fight with a wall. I put up a good fight, but unfortunately it won."

"Sounds like one hell of a fight," Alex chuckled and put the last bottle of lotion into the box. As Piper reached to pick up the box, Alex put her hand on the women's arm to stop her.

"Let me get that for you. I don't want to pick up all those soaps for a second time."

Alex picked up the box and followed the blonde to her apartment. As she unlocked the door Alex got a better look at her. She was almost as tall as Alex was, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She was a natural beauty, wearing no makeup that Alex could see.

Finally, Piper managed to get the door open and Alex walked in, setting the box down on the floor.

"So you're the person Nicky showed the apartment to earlier?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to make small talk.

"Yep, thats me. I'm just glad I could get a place with such short notice. I think I may need to look into a world record for this." Piper laughed at her own joke along with Alex.

"Running from the law? If so, you might not want to draw all that attention to yourself, and your location." Alex joked back.

"Hmm that would be more exciting. Fortunately, no. Just a bad break up."

"Yeah you're right. That is much less interesting."

"Well, as much as i'd like to ignore them for the rest of the night, I have more boxes in the lobby I need to bring up." Piper sighed, just wanting to rest for the night.

"Okay, let's go." Alex said simply. Walking to the door she opened it, and turned to see if the other woman was following her. Alex smirked when she saw Piper standing in the same spot, dumbfounded. "You commin?"

Piper shook her head, "Yes?" She said it more like a question then anything.

"You don't think i'm gonna let you do this all alone, do you? You couldn't handle one box, let alone the rest of your belongings."

"Alex, as nice of an offer this is, I can't ask you to do all this for me."

"You're not asking, I offered. Besides it will go faster like this."

"But-"

"Just accept the help. How about you let me help you with this, and I will let you buy me dinner."  
Piper visibly blushed at this. "Okay. It's a deal."

So Alex helped the blonde get all her things up to her apartment with minimal damage. By the time they finished getting everything up and even putting a few things away, it was already seven o'clock.

"So what do you say about going to my place and ordering takeout? You do owe me dinner, and i'm too exhausted to go anywhere further than my apartment."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

After they ate, Alex suggested they watch a movie. She had already abandoned her plans to work tonight, so she figured she might as well have a little fun. Plus, she liked being around Piper.

Despite the fact that she had only met the women a few hours prior, Alex had grown fond of her. The way she joked so easily with Alex, and how she seemed so laid back, like she had nothing to stress about. Not to mention that she was beautiful and smart and funny. Alex actually wanted to get to know her better.

"So I already know that you had a bad breakup with your boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever, but the real question is why?"

"My fiance cheated on me with my best friend. I went to a party that they both claimed to be too busy to attend, and when I came home early, they were fucking on my couch."

"Christ, that's messed up."

"Yeah, I didn't love it. Anyway I told them to get the fuck out and started packing. I plan on never seeing or talking to either of them for as long as I love. Fucking assholes."

"Well then i'm glad you have me to help you move. I'm guessing the big wall fight was started after the break up?" Alex asked jokingly.

"You guessed correctly." Piper chuckled. "Figured i'd do a little damage for him to fix when i'm gone."

"Sound like a deserved punishment. Anyway, what movie should we watch?"

Throughout the day, Alex had lightly flirted with Piper just to test the waters. The blonde had returned the flirting, but when she mentioned she had been engaged to a man, Alex was a little curious. Was it just platonic flirting? Alex flirted with her friends sometimes sure, but was it like that for Piper? Or was it more?

Alex intended to find out.


	3. The Plan

Piper had always thought of herself as a very fluid person. Over the years she had dated many different types of people. She lived by the philosophy that you fall in love with the person, not the gender. Not to say that she was falling in love. Yet. It was just a possibility. She did however, have some feelings for her new neighbor, and friend, Alex. It had been about two weeks since her breakup with Larry, and although there was still some anger, she felt like she was mostly over him. She thought it would take longer, but honestly? The pain from the break up was enough to get rid of a lot of her feelings toward him. Over the last few weeks, Piper and Alex had grown closer. The tall woman had helped Piper move the rest of her things into her new apartment just in time. If it wasn't for her help, Piper was sure she wouldn't have been able to lift half the boxes with her injured hand. They'd exchanged numbers and had started texting each other daily. They regularly spent time in each other's apartments, often joined by Nicky and Lorna. That's what they were doing tonight. All four just in Alex's apartment, watching a movie. "Well it's getting kinda late. We'd better be heading home," Nicky said as she stood up from the couch, holding out her hands to help her girlfriend up. The other two women stood up to hug the couple goodbye. Once they left, Piper dropped back down on the couch. "Press play," she whined, "I wanna see how the movie ends." Alex chucked and sat down next to Piper, starting the movie. As the movie went on, Piper started to drift off. For a while she fought it, but the couch was so comfy, and the blanket she was sharing with Alex was so warm, and she eventually gave in to sleep.

* * *

Piper woke up in a room that was not her own. She glanced around and quickly realized she was in Alex's living room. The second thing she realized was the fact that there was a warm body pressed against her back, and a soft arm around her waist, touching her bare skin where her shirt had ridden up during the night. "Morning sunshine," Piper heard Alex chuckle. "Figured I'd let you sleep in, considering it's Saturday and you were obviously very tired." Piper blushed a little, and laughed along with Alex. "Well thanks for not kicking me out of your house," She sat up, wishing she could stay cuddled up with the woman a little longer. Alex smirked, "Now why would I kick a pretty girl like you out of my house," Piper giggled and said nothing. It had been going like this for quite a while. Playful flirting back and forth. At least Piper thought it was playful. She knew that on her part, there was a little truth behind it. Piper didn't even know if Alex liked girls, let alone her. There was always a possibility, but she didn't want to mess anything up between them. She had been trying to find out more about the dark haired woman's life, but had yet to work herself up to asking about her dating life. "Well i'd better get going," she said, standing up. "So soon?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "I need to shower and change and… stuff." "Okay, Okay, I guess I need to too. You wanna meet for lunch later? My treat." Alex said, still laying on her side on the couch. "Sounds great." Piper smiled. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table, and made her way out of the apartment, waving to Alex. "See you later." She walked down the hall to her own apartment and realized she had forgotten her keys at Alex's. She turned back and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Alex in a towel, holding up her keys and smirking. "Forget something?" Piper blushed and tried to keep her eyes on Alex's face rather than... anything else. "Sorry, yeah. I'll just let you get back to your um… shower," she said glancing down at the women's towel clad chest. "Hey Pipes, eyes up here," Alex said, chuckling. Piper blushed harder, face going completely red. "I um, i'm gonna go. I'll see you later." Piper turned and rushed away from the apartment, embarrassed.

* * *

Alex had a plan. After spending time with Piper for the last two weeks, she had gotten a pretty good idea of how the woman felt towards her. After the conversation in the hall, Alex decided it was time to make a move. She pulled out her phone and dialed Piper's number. "Hey Alex!" "Hey Pipes. So I'm really sorry, but i'm gonna have to cancel lunch. I just got swamped with work." "Oh. That's okay, we can go another time," the blonde sounded disappointed. "How does dinner sound? Nicky's doing a little birthday dinner for Lorna, and she wanted to know if you could come." "That sounds great!" "Okay great. I'll be around to pick you up at seven." Alex smirked, starting to make a mental list of everything she would need to do. "Sounds good to me." "Oh and Pipes? Dress up okay?" "Of course. See you in a few hours!" Once she was off the phone, Alex grabbed her keys and was out of the house. She bought herself a black dress that showed enough cleavage and leg to drive Piper crazy, along with some black heels. On her way home, she bought some red roses, hoping to impress the blonde. She took her time to get ready, wanting tonight to go perfect. She was a little nervous at the prospect of springing a spontaneous date on Piper, but Alex was pretty sure she knew how the blond felt about her. At exactly seven, Alex walked out of her apartment and towards Piper's. Holding the bouquet of flowers behind her with one hand, she knocked on the door. When it was opened to reveal Piper, Alex was speechless. The woman was wearing a red dress, complete with black heels and dark red lipstick. "Wow Pipes, you look great." The blonde smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself." "So I just want to apologize for lying to you." "Lying?" "It's not Lorna's birthday, and I didn't have to work today." "Then why did you-" Piper interrupted. "Just let me explain okay?" The blonde nodded. Alex took a deep breath and began, "I want to take you on a date. I have feelings for you, and I have ever since the first day I met you. So I lied, and I get it if you don't want to go, but I really hope you would." "I-I have feelings for you too," Piper smiled. "And I would love to go on a date with you." Alex sighed with relief, then she smirked. "I figured you did. Oh, and here," she produced the flowers from behind her back, handing them over. "Al, they're beautiful! Thank you!" Piper smiled brightly at Alex and glanced down at the flowers. "Let me go put these in water, and we can go." Alex smiled to herself, pleased that her plan worked out. She just hoped the date went just as good.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little short. I already started the next one, which will be the date, and it should be up sometime next week. Thanks to everyone who has commented, I really enjoy reading them! I hope you're enjoying this story so far. I plan on it being a couple more chapters, and possibly an epilogue after that so we'll see. Thanks for reading!  



	4. Surprise date

A/N: So this chapter starts out with Piper's POV of the whole surprise thing. As much as I wanted to just write the date, I felt like I needed to write Piper's thoughts on the whole ordeal. This chapter has some of the date, and part two should be in the making soon.

* * *

Piper was embarrassed, to say the least. She hadn't meant to stare at Alex's chest, but with her in just a too small towel, it was a little hard. It was hard not to notice how attractive the tall woman was. Piper just got caught up in her thoughts.

Alex didn't really seem mad about it, just a little amused. Piper just hoped lunch later wasn't awkward because of the incident.

She decided to just stop thinking about it, and get ready for the day.

After her shower, Piper did her hair and makeup, and picked out her clothes for the day. Very aware of the fact that she would be seeing her neighbor later for lunch, Piper made an effort to look nice.

Checking the clock, she saw that she had a little over an hour until the lunch, so the blonde sat on her couch and scrolled through her phone. It was the weekend after all.

After a while her phone started ringing, Alex's contact coming up on the screen. Piper answered the phone immediately.

"Hey Alex!"  
"Hey Pipes. So I'm really sorry, but i'm gonna have to cancel lunch. I just got swamped with work."  
"Oh. That's okay, we can go another time," Piper was disappointed. Even though she had spent all night with her, Piper was looking forward to seeing Alex.

"How does dinner sound? Nicky's doing a little birthday dinner for Lorna, and she wanted to know if you could come."  
"That sounds great!"  
"Okay great. I'll be around to pick you up at seven."

"Sounds good to me."  
"Oh and Pipes? Dress up okay?"  
"Of course. See you in a few hours!"

As bummed as Piper was that they weren't going to get any alone time, she was glad she'd get to spend time with Alex at all.

She did however, want to look great when she did get to see the older woman. She went into her closet and picked out a dark red dress and some black heels. She took her time with her makeup. It looked classy, with red lipstick to match her dress.

Checking the clock, she was ready with time to spare. She lounged around for a while before putting on her outfit, not wanting to wrinkle her dress. A few minutes after she is dressed, Piper hears a knock at her door. Checking herself in the mirror once more, she hurries to the door and pulls it open.

She is greeted with the sight of Alex, wearing a black dress that shows off her slender curves, and black heels a little higher than Piper's, making the older woman a few inches taller than her.

"Wow Pipes, you look great," the woman said, looking her up and down.

Piper smiled and looked up at Alex. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"So I just want to apologize for lying to you."

"Lying?" Piper was very confused and a little worried as to what Alex could be talking about.

"It's not Lorna's birthday, and I didn't have to work today," now she was even more confused. "Then why did you-" Piper interrupted.

"Just let me explain okay?" The blonde nodded and waited anxiously for Alex to continue.

"I want to take you on a date. I have feelings for you, and I have ever since the first day I met you. So I lied, and I get it if you don't want to go, but I really hope you would."

Piper was stunned. Realizing what Alex had said, Piper was quick to respond.

"I-I have feelings for you too," Piper smiled. "And I would love to go on a date with you." The blonde was pleasantly surprised with the turn of events.

Alex smirked at Piper. "I figured you did. Oh, and here," she produced a bouquet of flowers from behind her back, and held them out to Piper.

"Al, they're beautiful! Thank you!" Piper smiled brightly at Alex and took the flowers. "Let me go put these in water, and we can go."

Piper quickly filled a vase with water and put the flowers in it. Smiling once more at them, she grabbed her purse and walked out the door, meeting Alex in the hall.

"So, where to now?"

"You wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise, now would you," Alex smirked and led Piper into the elevator.

Piper sighed with resignation, figuring she wouldn't get it out of the woman. They got down to the lobby and Alex checked her phone.

"Looks like our ride's here," she took Piper's hand and led her outside, Piper's blush already rising to her cheeks.

This was going to be a great night.

* * *

The two women arrived at the restaurant and Alex paid the driver. Once out of the car, Alex took Piper hand again and led her to the doors of the building. Piper looked down at their interlocked hands and smiled. Looking up, she made eye contact with Alex. The older wonand glanced at their hands and smiled, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Reservation for Vause," Alex said to the woman at the desk. The woman walked them to their table, and Alex pulled the chair out for Piper before sitting down herself.

The two women made small talk until the waitress came to their table.

"What can I get for you ladies tonight?"

Alex spoke first, "Some wine to start?" she looked at Piper for confirmation and the blonde nodded. Alex picked from the vast selection of wines, and they both ordered their meals.

"So. These feelings you were talking about. How long have those things been around?"

Piper blushed and didn't meet Alex's eyes. "A few weeks maybe? I didn't really notice them for a while, but once I did I realized they'd been there for a while."

Alex smirked, "Hmm, interesting."

Piper finally met her eyes, one eyebrow in challenge. "What about yours?"

"I would have to say since the day you were yelling outside of my door."

The two women chuckled, remembering the incident that lead to their meeting. Just then, the waitress arrived with their wine. They sipped their drinks, and talked like it was any other day, but it felt different for both women. More significant than before.

Their meals arrived, and they ate as they continused their conversation. They talked, laughed, and overall had a great dinner.

When the waitress arrived with the check, Alex snached it seeing the blonde start to reach for it.

"Nope. I asked you on this date, so i've got it Pipes." The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"Oh calm down. I'll let you can get the next one."

Piper raised her eyebrows, "And what makes you think there's going to be a next time?"

Alex actually looked a little nervous, "I-uh-"

Piper giggled, "I'm joking, settle down. I'd love for there to be a next time." she said sincerely.

Alex smiled a genuine smile, not the cocky smirk Piper was used to. "Me too Pipes."

Once the check was taken care of, Alex stood up and offered her hand to Piper.

"Ready to go?"

Piper looked at the offered hand and gladly took it, lacing their fingers together.

"Yep," they walked out of the restaurant and Alex hailed a cab. "Where are we going now?"

Alex smirked and said once more, "You wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise, now would you."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so i'm sorry this was cut off, but I wanted to post something this week. I started the date, but I couldn't seem to write it without writing Piper's point of view first. I'll start working on part two of the date soon, and it'll be up ASAP. Thanks to everyone who has left a review, and everyone who followed! You all make me so happy, and more confident in my writing. If you want to leave suggestions about where you want this story to go, i'm open to it. Thanks again for reading!


	5. A Little Bit Cliche

The date was going great, so far. Alex was a little unsure about the next part of her plan, but she decided to stay optimistic.

When they got in the car, Alex slipped the driver a piece of paper with an address written on it, wanting their destination to be a complete surprise for the other woman.

Once they were close to their destination, Alex turned to Piper.

"So i'm gonna need you to close your eyes." she said, smirking.

"Are you going to murder me? Because i'd rather you didn't"

Alex chuckled, "Don't you trust me?"

Piper sighed and closed her eyes. "This better be worth it."

When they arrived, Alex got out of the cab first, and rushed around to Piper's side, opening the door and helping her out of the car, Piper's eyes shut tightly.

Alex lead her to the entrance of the building, then stopped, satisfied with the spot she chose.

"Open up." she said, laughing a little.

Piper opened her eyes, and her face immediately lit up. "You're taking me ice skating?" she said excitedly.

Alex blushed a little and nodded. "I know its a little cliche, but I thought i'd be fun."

"Al this is so sweet. Thank you!" the blonde said, squeezing the hand that was still laced together with Alex's.

Alex reached into her bag and pulled out two pairs of jeans, hoodies, and socks.

"I didn't want you to be cold," she said sheepishly.

Piper suddenly hugged Alex tightly. When she pulled away, her cheeks were tinted red, weather from the cold, or embarrassment, Alex didn't know.

"Come on Pipes, lets go get changed."

Piper happily took Alex's hand, bouncing into the building, Alex chuckling behind her.

Alex paid for their tickets and lead Piper into the bathroom to get changed. They both went into separate stalls and changed out of their dressed into the clothes provided by Alex. Once they were done, they met outside of the bathroom.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Alex dug around in her bag for a moment, pulling out hats and gloves for both of them.

Piper smiled and took the offered garments. They rented skates and made their way outside to the skating rink.

"Full disclosure, i've never been the greatest at this." Piper said, laughing a bit.

"Don't worry Pipes, i'll hold your hand." Alex winked and walked over to the entrance of the rink, motioning for Piper to follow her.

Alex stepped onto the ice and reached for Piper's hand. The second Piper set floor on the ice she almost fell, but luckily Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her up before she could.

"Woah! I figured you'd be bad at this, but not that bad." Alex said, laughing.

Piper reached her hand out to smack Alex's arm, but as soon as she let go of her hand, Piper lost her balance and flung her arms around Alex's neck before she fell.

Alex just held on to her and laughed.

Piper huffed. "I'm still mad at you for laughing. I just don't want to fall and crack my skull."

Alex chucked once more and grabbed the blonde's wrists and removed them from around her neck, taking both of her hands in her own.

"Don't worry, I've got you Pipes." She slowly skated backwards, pulling the unsteady blonde along with her.

"How'd you learn to do this anyways?"

"I grew up around Boston, and there was a lot of snow." Alex shrugged. "We didn't have much money, but me and my mom went skating whenever she had time, and I went alone some days to pass the time."

"That sounds like a lot of time. And your mom sounds great, i'd love to meet her some day."

Alex looks away from Piper's eyes. "Yeah, she was great."

Piper squeezes her hands, bringing her back from her thoughts. "You okay?" she asked, frowning.

"My mom died a few months ago. It's still a little hard to talk about." Alex said, looking up to avoid crying in front of her date.

"Oh Alex, i'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry Pipes, you didn't know. She was a great women, and I miss her a lot. I'm just glad I have such great people in my life to help me get through it. That includes you." Alex winked and chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Piper laughed a little.

"Now c'mon, let's get our skate on." Alex laughed and dragged the blonde along to skate with her.

* * *

After a few falls, and many almost falls, Piper eventually got the hang of it. She decided to hold Alex's hand anyways.

They had a good time, skating and talking and laughing. Piper couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun on a date.

Certainly not with Larry.

After checking their skates back in, they got in a cab and rode back to their apartment building.

Both women slid out of the cab, Alex paying the driver on her way out, then proceeding to take the blond's hand again.

They walked to the lobby together, getting in the elevator and riding up to their floor. Once at Piper's door, they both stopped, facing each other.

"I had a really nice time tonight. And i'm not just saying that to be nice, that was honestly one of the best dates i've ever been on.

"Just _one_ of the best?" Alex joked.

"We'll if i'd said it was the best, there would be no room to improve on our next one, now would there." the blonde smirked.

"Our next one hu?" Alex smirked back at Piper, stepping a little.

"Mmhm. How about coffee tomorrow?" Piper asked, a little nervous

"That sounds great Pipes." Alex smiled.

"We'll, I guess this is goodnight then." Piper said, a little reluctantly, not wanting to leave the woman's presence just yet.

"Goodnight Pipes." Alex said, squeezing her hand.

Piper turned to her door, unlocking it. Just before she went inside, Alex grabbed her arm softly.

"Piper wait, I forgot something!"

"Yeah?" Piper questioned

Alex turned the blonde around gently, one hand still on her arm, the other she placed delicately on her cheek. She leaned in, brushing her lips against the blonde's. Piper hesitated for a moment, before she leaned in, connecting their lips.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, before Alex pulled away, the blonde following her a little. Alex chuckled a little at that.

"Now I can die happy. I'll see you tomorrow Pipes." She pecked Piper on the lips once more before walking away, swinging her hips a little, leaving behind a stunned Piper.

Piper was definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

A/N: So yeah, this one took a little while. With school and work, I've had a hard time trying to squeeze writing in there, so this chapter is a little short, but I wanted to finish off the date. So anyway thanks so much for everyone who has commented and read this! I did read all the comments made, and I incorporated some of your suggestions so thanks again! It really motivates me to write more often. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please comment any ideas/suggestions you have for me! I'd love to hear your input!


	6. Truly Happy

A/N: So, I decided to end this fic a little early. The chapters weren't coming out fast enough, long enough, or good enough for me. With school and work it's been hard to find time to write. I do plan on writing a little more for this fic, maybe an epilogue or a squeal, so we'll see about that. Thank you to everyone who has left comments! I hope you enjoy this last little chapter!

* * *

Piper woke up with a smile on her face, remembering the events of the night before. She rolled over in her bed and reached for her phone on the nightstand. Unlocking it, she found three texts from Alex.

Had a great time last night Pipes :) - AV

Can't wait to see you later - AV

What time are we going for coffee? - AV

Piper smiled at all the messages. She went to Alex's contact and called her. It only took 4 rings for the woman to answer,

"Hey Pipes!"

"Hey Al! I was wondering what time it would be good to meet up?"

"I'm ready whenever you are." Alex said.

"Well I still need to get ready, so maybe in like 45 minutes?"

"That sounds great Pipes. See you then."

"Okay great! See you in a bit!"

Piper hung up her phone and got out of bed. She walked straight to the bathroom and quickly undressed for the shower. She wanted to be a fast as possible so she could see Alex again.

After her shower, Piper dried off and quickly got dressed. On her way back to her bedroom she heard a knock on the door. She walked over and looked out of the peep hole to find Alex on the other side of the door.

She opened the door and saw Alex standing there with a smile on her face.

"I know i'm early, but I just missed your face too much," Alex said, grinning.

Piper just laughed at the other woman and stepped forward to hug her, before deciding to give her a quick kiss.

When she pulled away, Piper laughed again. "Hi."

"Hi," Alex said, smirking.

"Sorry my hair's getting you all wet, I just got out of the shower," the blonde said, brushing strands of hair out of their faces.

"It's my fault, I am a half hour early, but I figured we could hang out while you get ready. Otherwise i'd just be bored."

"Well we don't need that."

Piper took Alex's hand and lead her to her bedroom so she could finish her hair and makeup.

"Woah Pipes, we _just_ had our first date, this is a little fast." Alex joked.

"Shut up," Piper said, trying not to blush.

Piper sat down on the floor in front of her standing mirror and started her makeup.

"You do that on the floor?" Alex asked, chuckling.

"It's the best way to do it! Stop giving me that look." Piper said, pouting a little.

The two talked and laughed while the blonde finished getting ready. When her makeup and hair were done, Piper stood up.

"Ready?"

"Let's do it," Alex replied, taking Piper's hand.

In that moment Piper realized she would be okay. A few weeks ago, her world was crushed. But now, with Alex, she felt that she was truly happy with her life.

Turns out starting over was the best thing that could have ever happened to her.

* * *

A/N: Thank you again to everyone who has read this story! I hope you enjoyed the end!


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